Will exit polls for Assam, Kerala and Puducherry be released today? Here is what Election Commission said
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has notified that the conduct and dissemination of exit polls shall be prohibited from 7 am on 9 April (Thursday) till 6.30 pm on 29 April, covering the voting period across five assembly elections.
All assembly seats of Kerala, Assam and Puducherry are voting today. Tamil Nadu will vote on 23 April, and West Bengal will hold a two-phase election on 23 April and 29 April.
But there won’t be Exit Polls today. Why? Because the polling season is spread out, the Election Commission of India's ban on exit polls will remain in effect until the last vote is cast.
The poll panel in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-Section 1 of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and having regard to the provisions of sub-Section (2) of the said Act, has notified that the conduct and dissemination of exit polls shall be prohibited from 7 AM on 9 April (Thursday) till 6.30 PM on 29 April, covering the voting period across five assembly elections. It has warned that any violation could invite legal action, including jail time or fines.
The second and last phase of the West Bengal elections is scheduled on 29 April.
The poll panel made it clear that conducting or broadcasting exit polls during this window will break the law. It pointed to Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and said the offence is “punishable with imprisonment up to a period of two years, or with fine or both”.
What are exit polls?
Exit Polls are poll predictions by different pollsters done soon after the voting ends on poll day.
The predictions are based on voter feedback collected by survey agencies after the polling. While the idea behind exit polls is to accurately reflect public sentiment before the official results are announced, their accuracy has come under scrutiny in the past.
Exit polls have historically been inaccurate. The actual results will be known only after the real counting.
Axis My India statement
Psephologist Pradeep Gupta-led Axis My India will not publish any pre-poll or opinion polls before 29 April.
"This is to inform you all that Axis My India never publishes any kind of pre-poll/opinion poll. This will hold true for the entire period till the exit polls are released by us after the elections as per ECI guidelines, on 29 April 2026, 6.30 PM onwards," Axis My India said in a statement.
Voting details for today
Assam has 126 seats, while Kerala has 140. Today's voting is being held at 31,486 polling stations across Assam, 30,471 in Kerala, and 1,099in Puducherry.
Assam has 2.5 crore voters. Kerala has 2.7 crore voters while Puducherry has 9.4 Lakh voters. In Assam, there are about 5.7 lakh first-time voters. In Kerala, there are 4.24 lakh eligible voters, and in Puducherry, 23,000 are eligible to vote for the first time today.
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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